When Psalm 1 doesn’t work: Where questions and answers come from…
What do you do when Psalm 1 doesn’t work? Do you know the dilemma. Psalm 1 promises an orderly life that makes sense. Do the right thing, meditate on the Scriptures, keep the right company, love God, and in due season your life will flourish. It’s perfectly logical, and it works most of the time… probably 95% of the time. But what happens when you land up in the 5% territory – when nothing makes sense, and when you identify more with Asaph in Ps 74:1 who asks “Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your...
Read MoreFaith, Forgetting and Fruitfulness: Reflections on Genesis 41
I was preaching on Genesis 41 yesterday. As I don’t expect you to be able to rattle off what that chapter is about, let me refresh your memory. Genesis 37 tells us that a 17 year old Joseph had a dream in which he saw his brothers bowing down to him. Offended by the arrogance of this dream, and by Joseph’s status as his father Jacob’s favourite son, his brothers have him sold into slavery in Egypt. Purchased By Potiphar, he impresses in his new status and is left in charge of Potiphar’s household. For a while things turn out not too badly for Joseph, but then...
Read MoreWhen Faith Turns Ugly… A new book
My next book, When Faith Turns Ugly: Understanding Toxic Faith and How to Avoid It, is due out in a few weeks. Rather than write about it and tell you why I think it is important, I will let the preface speak for itself. Hopefully it will whet your appetite for more (and the book is available for pre-order from Koorong and Authentic Media). Here is a taster from the preface… It was an unexpected encounter at an art gallery and it left me unsettled and concerned. Rosemary and I had been admiring the entries for the Mandorla Art Award, and were impressed by the wide array of...
Read MoreManaging Monday… Some Tillich Quotes
Last month we introduced ‘Managing Monday’ with 3 quotes each week from the great theologian of the church, Augustine. We will carry on with the three quotes each week format, but from different thinkers each week. Here are three quotes from American/German existentialist theologian from the last century, Paul Tillich (1886-1965). While he had many notable insights (though theologically I differ from him on many, many points), these are the three most frequently cited Tillich quotes… Enjoy… The first duty of love is to listen – Paul Tillich Doubt is not the...
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